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The bullet went straight into Travis’s forehead but not before he had the chance to pull the trigger on his own gun My mother leaned to the side in anticipation and the bullet ended up striking her neck instead of her head I iround as the sniper’s bullets ca as close to hi anymore and aimed in the direction of the bullets

There were two oing behind hi the man’s neck with a quick twist of his hands

The man fell down dead The otherdown the roof until he was able to slip inside an openon the second floor

Derek

"Ellie," Ca me into his arms "Are you okay?"

I shook et to my feet I fell back down and then crawled over tosounds fro to turn her over Blood poured freely fro , weak and shallow Her brown eyes blinked at the sun then slowly looked over atwhen she saw my face

I couldn’t stop the tears I bawled, chest burning for air, and she reached for asped "I’m so sorry"

"Ellie, sweetheart," she tried to say but could only cough

"I a uncontrollably "I love you mommy, and I’m sorry I’htly "You did nothing wrong," she croaked, her lips turning white "I’s wheezed and she coughed again and I could feel Ca to tell o, that we had to leave but I couldn’t leave her here, not dying like this

She sed, a strea out of the side of her mouth "I love you Ellie Reave her for everything I only hoped she could forgive ive myself

And then, as I kissed her forehead, I heard her take in her last breath of air My tears spilled onto her head and I slowly pulled away She was lifeless, frozen, hopefully taken away somewhere where she could finally find happiness

"Ellie," Ca his shoulder under aet out of here"

My heart was a stone, a brick, a round I looked at s went so wrong, so fast They weren’t the constants in ood, but at least they weren’t always the bad Like rey and they shaded every step I’d taken

Iovershadowed by my sorrow Camden helped me limp a few steps before he bent down and scoopedme to put my hands around his neck He ran forward but I stared backward until the bodies were further away

"You two okay?" Derek’s voice broke through

Ca at the corner of the house, a large gash across his face but otherwise all right I wasn’t sure if we could trust hiain, he earing a bulletproof vest

"She’s been shot," Ca"

Derek gave it a quick glance and then looked at us gravely In his vest, a blue eyes and shaved head, he looked like he was in his ele fazed him This was routine

"I can help you," he said "If you pay rip around htened

Derek was motionless "I knohere Gus is I needed to kno ive, Ellie I can take you to him I can fix you But you have to na how iven Camden for me I was sure, even in death, Javier wouldn’t mind if it went to save ive you a break and let’s call it thirty," Derek said "It’s still more than what Javier paid me to stick around and help take over this place"

The words were stuck in ed to come out "He’s shot, you know He’s in the pool house"

He nodded "I saw I took out the original sniper as well But whether he’s alive or dead, he owns the Zetas now and they’re co I did etting out of here?" Camden asked

The tiniest hint of a smile appeared on Derek’s lips "I learned to fly a few choppers in Afghany"

He jerked his head toward the landing pad

"Shouldn’t we … shouldn’t weit wasn’t the popular opinion

Derek shook his head "We don’t have time You have no idea what that man is capable of, do you"

"She knows," Ca heart"

"A big heart will get you killed If Javier’s alive, he’s at the top of the food chain now And we’re all just chuuilt He had left me behind to die I would have to try and do the sah, that he wouldn’t coain

Soon ere in the helicopter, Derek at the controls, Ca apart a first aid kit for pain round and took off toward the horizon We left my past, my broken, and sometimes beautiful, past behind me

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Ellie, we’re here"

Iabove my head Chopper blades I had that one sweetis fine

Then I was sla, where the bullet went in And in my heart, where my mom and possibly Javier had died Grief for people who perhaps didn’t deserve grief but I was drowning in it all the sa his lips toface, needing to feel him, that he was here, alive I had him He had me

"Where are we?" I whispered, my voice dry

He put his arently lifted me up He quickly unscrewed a bottle of water and poured soht beside the chopper In the distance was the barn we had parked at and the black Escalade was co out of it